SparkyLinux 8.1 released
SparkyLinux 8.1 has just been released, marking a quarterly update for the "Seven Sisters" stable release of SparkyLinux 8. Built on top of Debian GNU/Linux 13 "Trixie," this release brings a host of improvements and updates to keep your system running smoothly.
The main focus here seems to be getting all the packages updated from the stable Debian repositories, with November 10th as the cut-off date. So it's really a point release designed to keep things current and compatible with Debian's latest efforts while ensuring Sparky itself remains rock solid on that foundation. And yes, regarding compatibility, users should know that Sparky 8 continues to play nice with Debian.
Beneath all that user-facing software, the core Linux kernel has also received an upgrade for both PC and ARM systems. On standard PCs, you're now running on the 6.12.48-LTS kernel (though other versions are available too). For those using Sparky's ARM64 builds, like perhaps some Odroid devices or Chromebooks, they've got access to version 6.12.47 LTS instead. This should contribute to smoother operations and better overall stability.
Beyond the core system updates, several familiar desktop environments have also seen upgrades: LibreOffice has moved to 25.2.3; among others are KDE Plasma at 6.3.6, LXQt at 2.1.0, MATE reaching version 1.26.0, Xfce now at 4.20, and Openbox hitting 3.6.1.
Then there's the browser side: Firefox is upgraded to version 140.4.0 ESR, as is Thunderbird itself. These are likely welcome changes for most users dealing with everyday tasks like web browsing or email management.
For getting SparkyLinux onto your hardware, you have different choices depending on what kind of system you're using. If it's a typical PC setup today, then the 'Seven Sisters' release offers options including Xfce, LXQt, MATE Plasma, KDE Plasma, MinimalGUI (which uses Openbox), or even just a text-based minimal interface if that sounds like your jam.
Specifically, the latest offerings for ARM64 are quite limited. You can install it with either the graphical Openbox desktop environment or go straight to text mode command line (CLI) support.
It's definitely worth pointing out that this release intentionally drops support for older i686 and ARMHF architectures. This isn't necessarily bad news, but just something new users should be aware of regarding hardware compatibility.
If you're coming from an earlier SparkyLinux 8 installation, you likely don't need to start over completely. Just keep your system updated as usual through the package manager, and it should pick up these changes without fuss.
There's one thing, though, we want to call out upfront: an existing known issue with Wi-Fi on ARM64 systems needs a heads-up. It seems that sometimes it doesn't activate properly after the first boot. Don't panic if you see this; simply give your system a reboot, and hopefully things will connect automatically.
So for anyone wanting to try or upgrade to SparkyLinux 8 'Seven Sisters' today, head over to the SparkyLinux download page, navigate down to the stable releases section, find those shiny new ISO files, grab them from the official site or mirror, burn one up if you're old school enough, or just use it in a virtual environment, and give your setup a whirl.
